Local artist, Lisa Dahl, recently made a small house built entirely of plastic shopping bags. Inflated in the St. George neighborhood on Staten Island, the colorful, illuminated house was a symbol of cautious optimism regarding the consequences of development.

"Best case scenario, [the development on the North Shore] could really be a wonderful turning point for Staten Island to get an infusion of new stores, restaurants, residents," she said. "But worst case scenario – it turns into another real estate money grab bust where we are left with the hulls of buildings, and the long term consequences of having ignored the needs of the communities that make up Staten Island."

Check out the full article for more about Dahl's house building project.